


Rising Moon, Falling Sun

by DarkMidniteMage



Category: Subarashiki Kono Sekai | The World Ends With You
Genre: Gamefic, Gen, Post-Game, Spoilers, a little self indulgent and headcanony, i thought this was a good idea at the time but it's really not, kinda self-defeatist and depressive talk on Neku's end
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-15
Updated: 2018-12-15
Packaged: 2019-09-18 12:57:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 3,963
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16995417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkMidniteMage/pseuds/DarkMidniteMage
Summary: When Neku finds himself back in the Game, it's under circumstances he never thought he'd be under.[This work is a gamefic. In other words, you read chapters, then play a desktop minigame. As I'm unsure of how to port Game Maker engine games to Android and iOS, the only way to play them as of right now is from a computer. My apologies. Later, the story will be updated with video footage of the gameplay for those who cannot participate. The games will be linked at the end of the chapters in a zip file format. They don't require administrator permissions, and there is no installation required. Feel free to run them through virus scanners if you are unsure of their safety, but they are directly ported from Game Maker 1.4. Thank you for reading Rising Moon, Falling Sun.]





	1. Day 1 - Echoes of Silence

What, possibly, could that distant chatter be? Someone talking on their phone? No, too loud for that… A group of girls talking loudly and taking up a sidewalk…?

 

Neku's eyes snap open. He knows that sound. **_He knows that damn sound._ **

 

Concrete. White paint. Feet passing.

 

Neku's head drops onto the concrete again. A pair of feet walk through him.

 

Please, not again.

 

_Not another week…_

 

He's in the UG. He knows from the surge of power he feels. He knows from the way his phone beeps when he sits up, then stands. He feels a presence behind him, turns quickly, and he yelps at the hand on his shoulder.

 

“Hey, ‘Phones.”

 

That is _not_ a voice he wants to hear again. He turns around fully, and his eyes meet Kariya’s. Something about the way the music he hears from Kariya has changed, the tune stronger somehow. Kariya gives him a small smile-- or is that a smirk?-- and opens his mouth to speak.

 

“No need to be so hostile. I’m just here to do my job.”

 

“And that is?” Neku snarls, swatting the hand from his shoulder.

 

“Telling you what this week’s Game is about.”

 

Neku frowns. “What, couldn’t just send me a message?”

 

Kariya shrugs. “This is a special case, kid. You’re the only Player this time, and pacts aren’t necessary. The ‘missions’-” Kariya does air quotes around the word, ”-are just to complete minigames. Game Master went missing last week, and I’m too lazy to arrange anything in her place.”

 

Neku sighs. He knew it. “You’re the new Conductor?”

 

Kariya laughs a little bit, almost mockingly. “You give me too much credit. I’m not the Conductor, just the temporary one.”

 

“...Temporary?”

 

“Just until the Composer finds a new one,” Kariya clarifies. “I’m not really accustomed to large workloads, kid.”

 

Neku rolls his eyes at that. He knows that pretty well at this point. Kariya was never really the type to do anything that requires too much exertion. He remembers back in the original three weeks that he only really did anything when he was under the Red Skull pin’s influence. L a z y .

 

“What am I supposed to do today?” Neku asks.

 

“What, weren’t you listening?” Kariya says sarcastically. “A minigame.”

 

“But what _kind_ of minigame?”

 

“A phone minigame, for today,” Kariya replies. He takes the sucker out of his mouth, spinning it beneath his fingers. “You have to tap the moving Player pins. If you hit the Red Skull pin, well… I think you know the deal.”

 

“I get Erased?”

 

“Yeah, pretty much.”

 

Neku sighs. Of course his life hangs on a minigame. He doesn’t even remember how he died. Is he even dead? Did Joshua take his memories of his death again? He hates how he can’t remember his death. He doesn’t know what his entry fee was, either. None of this makes sense to hi-

 

Neku hisses as his palm begins to sting. He looks at it, and it begins to tick down from 30 minutes. When he looks up, Kariya’s gone.

 

...Guess it’s time for him to play that minigame.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first minigame:
> 
> https://drive.google.com/open?id=1uaelWXnZ36LgMG6obRSX9js4X0h1jMYO
> 
> As stated previously, feel free to virus check the files if you are unsure of their safety. Just know that I won't judge you for doing so, as it's always a good idea to stay safe while browsing the internet.


	2. Day 2 - Distant Memories

When Neku wakes up again, his cheek stings where lays against concrete. He’s not in the Scramble this time, but instead next to the familiar CAT mural. He stands up, his gaze shifting towards the wall. Staring at the swirls and splashes of color that weave together, he can’t help but remember the first time he was put into the Game. Joshua raising his gun, shooting him… dropping the Player pin on his chest. 

 

The game always starts and ends near one of CAT’s murals… Mr. H’s murals.

 

He stares forward at the head of the cat, eyes scanning over the upside down cross. 

 

A flicker, one he’s almost sure didn’t happen. His head  _ hurts _ . Neku almost topples over from the force, leaning against the mural for support.

 

_ He’s standing in front of the mural, looking over it with a small smile. A figure stands next to him, but their body is blacked out and flickering. He reaches out for them, but suddenly- _

 

“...Neku?”

 

Something rests gently on his shoulder, pulling him back into the present. He doesn’t know what he just saw, but his head still hurts from it. He sinks down the wall, trying his best not to pass out. The mission could arrive at any moment… he needs to keep it together…

 

Clothing rustles, a hand pressing against his forehead. There’s some kind of energy behind the movement, something that pushes away the headache bit by bit. Neku’s vision returns slowly (when did it turn to staticy violet?), and the figure in front of him is Mr. Hanekoma. His palm twinges, and when he looks down, 21:23 ticks back at him. He looks up again, seeing concern written over Mr. H’s face. Neku doesn’t really know why.

 

“You okay, ‘Phones?”

 

Neku’s not entirely certain. The headache is gone now, taken away by whatever Mr. Hanekoma did, but somehow he knows his voice isn’t going to work. He slips his phone from his pocket, pushes the mission message away for now, then goes into his memo app. He types out a message to Mr. H, then shows it to him.

 

_ ^Probably fine, just really confused.^ _

 

“Guess that makes two of us,” Mr. H replies. “What are you doing back in the Game?”

 

He types another message.  _ ^I’m not sure. I don’t remember dying.^ _

 

“And I don’t remember seeing anything about you dying on the news, either. I would have remembered,” Mr. Hanekoma says. “I haven’t seen your friends around, either, so I wouldn’t be able to ask them.”

 

Neku sighs.  _ ^All I know is that Kariya is the temporary Conductor. I don’t know what Josh is doing this time.^ _

 

Mr. Hanekoma looks a little bit uncomfortable. “Joshua doesn’t even have a hand in this Game, ‘Phones. The events of the long Game weren’t exactly legal.”

 

Neku takes a moment to process this. He types quickly.  _ ^Did someone do something to him?^ _

 

“No, he’s mostly fine. He’s just… under censure by his superiors.”

 

_ ^Censure?^ _

 

“Are you asking for the definition, or are you asking for details? Because, if you haven’t noticed, I kinda can only provide the definition.”

 

Neku sighs.  _ ^Definition.^ _

 

Mr. Hanekoma laughs a little bit, but Neku doesn’t really get why. This isn’t a funny situation in the slightest.

 

“It means under extreme disapproval by a group or a judge, in this case under an organization it would be a mistake to tell you about right now.”

 

Well, at least he knows what it means now. Neku is a little miffed that he doesn’t know who’s making it so that Joshua’s only  _ mostly _ fine, but he’ll live. Or… um… Sort of live. He’s probably dead right now, unless he’s somehow playing the Game alive. Speaking of the Game…

 

Neku glances down to his hand again. 15:29 ticks down to 15:28 just as he looks at it. He holds the timer up for Mr. H to see. He reads the numbers, then sighs.

 

“I’ll let you finish your mission, ‘Phones. Don’t you go getting yourself Erased on me, kid.”

 

Mr. H pats Neku’s head, then disappears. Neku looks around frantically, trying to find him, but there’s no one nearby. What the…?

 

He checks the mission message, and he groans.

 

_ ^Finish the maze game installed on your phone. Use the arrow keys to move the Player pin through, but don’t touch the Red Skull pin. You have 30 minutes. Fail, and face Erasure. - The Reapers.^ _

 

A maze?  He hates these.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The second minigame:
> 
> https://drive.google.com/open?id=14K06M7MQGkLmqcvRHs_2zJV3HHLgvDMs
> 
> This one does have a few bugs within the pathfinding of the Red Skull pin. I apologize for that, but under time constraints I was unable to correct it.


	3. Day 3 - Missing Devotion

Neku wakes up, blinking a few times to clear the blur from his eyes. He looks around, and even in his sleep drunk state he knows he’s by Hachiko. It doesn’t take much time for him to wake up fully, and when he does the mission text arrives. 

 

_ ^Complete the obstacle avoid minigame. Move using the arrow keys, and collect the Player pins. Do not touch the Noise pins. You have 30 minutes. Fail, and face Erasure. - The Reapers.^ _

 

...Why is he even doing this anymore? It seems useless for him to be doing this, to be wasting his time. He doesn’t know what his entry fee was-

 

-And that’s the problem, isn’t it? He doesn’t know what his entry fee was, so if he’s Erased, something important could be lost forever. The thing most important to him, though…? He doesn’t know what it is. Where is Joshua when you need to ask questions? He always knows about this Game stuff… 

 

...But Joshua’s under censure. Joshua’s under censure, and who knows what’s happening to him right now? He could be getting hurt, or he could be under house arrest (sewer arrest?), or some other kind of punishment could be happening to him, and Neku wouldn’t be able to do anything about it. 

 

The timer stings against his hand, but he ignores it. He wants to help Joshua, but he doesn’t know  _ how to _ . Joshua hasn’t come back, and Neku’s been waiting by Hachiko for almost a year now. Almost an entire  _ year _ of waiting for Joshua to come back, waiting for his friend to return to him, but he  _ hadn’t _ and Neku doesn’t know if he ever will. 

 

...If Neku’s Erased now, he won’t ever get to see any of his friends again, not Shiki, not Rhyme, not Beat, and not Joshua.

 

He doesn’t have a choice. He goes through his phone apps, then selects the Obstacle Avoid app. He has 21 minutes and 42 seconds left to complete this. He can… 

 

...He can do this, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The third minigame is here:
> 
> https://drive.google.com/open?id=1r1H7T14UQMKRL126zLq30at_XjIVMxGS
> 
> I apologize for how much of a mess it may be. I'm not very good at coding gravity settings in yet.


	4. Day 4 - A Will, A Way

By the fourth time Neku’s woken up on concrete again, he’s finally used to it. He hears music playing nearby, and he looks up to see he’s near Towa Records. 

 

Is… Is he still going to keep doing this? There’s… there’s not much to live for. If the world doesn’t know he’s dead, then maybe they’ve all forgotten he exists… What was his entry fee? Was it his place in society? He doesn’t know, but it had to be something important to him. Neku has to figure it out soon, or it’ll drive him insane. The important things to him… What all are they? What’s most important?

 

“Hey, what’s the holdup?”

 

Neku yelps, turning so quickly he almost trips. Steadying himself, he looks up at Kariya. The Reaper gives a sheepish smile in return. 

 

“Sorry ‘bout that, kid,” Kariya says. There’s sincerity behind his words, but Neku doesn’t get it.

 

“What now?” Neku sighs.

 

“Nothing’s wrong. Just wondering why you haven’t started the mission yet. You only have 30 minutes, and there’s a lot of bricks.”

 

“A lot of-” Neku sputters. “What?”

 

“Bricks. You’re playing Breakout today. I suggest you get to it.”

 

“...oh.”

 

Kariya gives a small smirk in Neku’s direction, then goes to walk off. An idea pops into his head, and the words are out of his mouth before he can stop them.

 

“Wait.”

 

Kariya looks at Neku over his shoulder. “Hm?”

 

Neku swallows, but he’s already initiated the conversation and can’t turn back.

 

“What…” Neku’s voice dies in his throat. He takes a deep breath and tries again. “What was… my entry fee?”

 

Kariya turns back to him fully, an expression Neku can’t pin to an emotion playing across his features.

 

“What, you haven’t figured it out…? It was your friends.”

 

 

**_Everything crashes down._ **

 

 

His friends were his entry fee?

 

They got dragged into the Game because of him?!

 

Where are they? What happened to them? Are they getting hurt?!  _ What’s going to happen to them if he gets Erased?! _

 

He immediately goes into his pocket for his phone. He has to do this. He can’t let them get Erased because of his mistakes.  _ He  _ did this. It’s his fault that they’re at risk again. He’s… He’s not going to let them get hurt. Not this time… Not ever.

 

Kariya had long since left in the midst of his panic rising. Neku checks the mission text, realizes that his timer is already going, and more panic is added on. 

 

_ ^Beat the Breakout game. Use the arrow keys to control the bar at the bottom. You have 30 minutes. Fail, and face Erasure. - The Reapers.^ _

 

He doesn’t have much time. With his mind set on keeping his friends safe, he launches the Breakout app.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The fourth minigame (most likely the best coded one out of all of these):
> 
> https://drive.google.com/open?id=1h0T2eDly5VO5H6mjWEajxeLqL7SWYiMA
> 
> It's only better coded than the ones from before because I followed the official Game Maker tutorial for it.


	5. Day 5 - Truth In All

Neku’s prepared when he wakes up. He stands quickly, energy laced into his movements. His body throws off Imagination, unrestrained and twisting around him. Noise in the area scramble away, and he’s surprised he can see them without a Player pin. That’s another thing he’s just now noticing. He doesn’t have a Player pin, only a pin with the symbol he’s seen on the shops around Shibuya. He feels Imagination circling through his body, and he knows why. He’s found his resolve again. He’s going to save them. Whatever the Game is doing to his friends, he’s going to bring them home.

 

He takes his phone from his pocket, swiping across the screen quickly. He doesn’t know what drives him to, but he opens up the gallery app and scrolls through until he finds the photograph he’s looking for. He doesn’t know what happened during the transfer, or if it was just because of how his phone was given a camera, but this photo was special. Only he’d ever seen it, the way that Joshua was leaned against Hachiko in the background. This was taken on the day exactly one week after the Game. Only his phone could pick it up. So many things had happened since then, but the only constant is that he’s almost sixteen now. Or… will be, if he makes it out.

 

Neku feels a little ridiculous for it, but he smacks himself in the face.

 

“No. Bad Neku. No self defeatist talk. You’re gonna get through this.”

 

He’s got to. He doesn’t care what happens, as long as he gets his friends home safely.  He’s going to do this. He can totally do this. He’s got this all under control. He hugs his phone, almost as if hugging it will make his friends feel it too. Putting his phone back in his hand, he exits the gallery app. He pulls up text messages just as the mission arrives.

 

_^Beat the Pin Finder minigame. Use the arrow keys and space bar to move and collect all of the pins in the map. You have 30 minutes. Fail, and face Erasure. -The Reapers.^_

 

Neku can do this. It’s just a simple game. Just finding pins on platforms, from what he can see of the map. He can do this.

 

He’s not going to be Erased today if he can help it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The fifth minigame:
> 
> https://drive.google.com/open?id=1dSqtvyWC9eO3GqjSbP2Oki1PeOSNfElj
> 
> I'm well aware that the collisions are being... very temperamental, to say the least. I'll return to it after I've finished the remaining two games.


	6. Day 6 - Unexpected Encounters

When Neku wakes up, it’s kind of dark. He feels a bit of energy push from his left hand, and the room gradually grows brighter. He looks over to his hand, and a flame encases it. His eyes widen with the initial shock of it, but it quickly passes when he realizes the flame doesn’t hurt. It gives him time to wander and look for a light switch, so he stands and looks for the lights. It’s pretty obvious to him that this is A-East, just from the way that he can see the patterns on the carpet. It’s just like movie theater carpeting, and it does the scratchy noise thing underneath his feet. Neku finds the light switch without much difficulty, and all of the lights flick on at once. He can actually _see_ inside of the lobby now.

 

Neku hears his phone beep quietly, and he takes it out of his pocket. He’s glad he was wearing a hoodie when he was put into the Game, because it’s extremely cold in here and he doesn’t know if he’d have time to go to a shop. Neku pushes his hair aside, scanning over the message for answers.

 

_^Last thirty seconds in the pin jump minigame. Use the space bar to stay in the air. You have 30 minutes. Fail, and face Erasure. - The Reapers.^_

 

The timer appears on his hand with a stinging sensation. Neku’s almost completely prepared to play the game. He exits the message app, gets halfway towards pressing the new app on his phone menu when he feels a presence behind him. He turns around, and he’s met with a familiar face.

 

“Hey, Neku. Long time no see.”

 

777’s outfit is different now, much different than it was when he was Erased. Speaking of which…

 

“I thought you were Erased! How did you come back?!”

 

777 looks a little off put by the odd greeting. “The Composer brought back all the Reapers who were Erased during the long Game, with the exception of the Iron Witch,” he says. Venom fills his words towards the end, and Neku knows why. “Can’t believe she went and Erased me.”

 

“I can,” Neku says. “She wasn’t exactly a good person.”

 

777 laughs. “You can say that again.”

 

A small, awkward silence ensues. Neku doesn’t really know how to break it, so he doesn’t try. 777 is the one to do so.

 

“You in the Game again? You’re in the UG.”

 

Neku sighs. “Yeah, I am. Don’t know how I died this time.”

 

“Happens all the time. I know I didn’t find out how I died until three years after I became a Reaper,” 777 replies. “I’m sure you’ll figure it out eventually.”

 

“I _hope_ so. It’s been messing with me for the past few days,” Neku groans.

 

“Maybe find that prissy blonde kid. He always seems to know about this stuff.”

 

Neku almost laughs. “Yeah, that’s what I **_want_ ** to do. The issue is that I usually only have 30 minutes for missions, so I can’t exactly do anything else.”

 

“For the phone minigames?”

 

Neku nods. “The really ridiculous ones that are really badly coded.”

 

777 glances to Neku’s right hand, looking at the timer. “If you want to complete the mission, I suggest you hurry up. You’ve got 21 minutes left.”

 

Neku looks at the timer, and he knows he has to hurry. When he looks up, 777 gives him a small smile.

 

“Don’t get yourself Erased.”

 

It’s an odd goodbye, but Neku will deal with it. At the rate he’s going, he’ll get out of the Game. Turning his phone back on, he goes into the pin jump app.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The sixth minigame is here:
> 
> https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Orokam1gZXe-6Ex9kx6VxgH5RHsFJ2tU
> 
> Enjoy the Flappy Bird ripoff.


	7. Day 7 - End of All Things

Neku wakes up to a familiar scent of coffee and muffins. Cat Street, he knows, and it’s easy for him to tell he’s right next to WildKat. Neku waits for a few minutes after standing up for the mission to arrive. Ten agonizing minutes of silence, ten minutes without any kind of beeping of his cell phone. He checks it just to make sure he didn’t get the message when he was asleep, but there’s nothing but the one from yesterday. He hears a bell ring, and his eyes snap to the noise. Mr. Hanekoma pokes his head out the door, and after a moment he waves him over. Confusion setting into Neku’s features, he approaches Mr. H. Each step feels like strain against him, his legs aching for reasons he doesn’t understand. It’s only then that he realizes how tired he is. What happened…?

 

Mr. Hanekoma opens the door, directing Neku inside. There’s a silence hanging in the air that makes him uneasy, one that is deafening. 

 

“‘Phones, you may want to sit down for this.”

 

Neku is now extremely confused, but he sits down on the couch Mr. Hanekoma directs him towards. Mr. H sets down a cup of tea down on the table, a really dark tea, then sits down on the couch opposite of him, waving a hand. Unease bristles through Neku as he hears the door click. It’s as if there’s a box around them in that moment, one that no sound or person would get through. The songs he heard from Shibuya before vanish, almost as if someone destroyed the orchestra. 

 

“Neku, I need you to listen to me, and pay attention.”

 

The second his real name slips from Mr. Hanekoma’s lips is the moment he knows that this is serious. Nicknames have been dropped. Neku nods in response, waiting for Mr. H to continue.

 

“You said you don’t remember how you died. You remember that, don’t you?”

 

Neku doesn’t know what Mr. Hanekoma is getting at. “I don’t remember dying at all. The last memories I have are of going to bed on the night before I woke up in the Game again.”

“That’s because you didn’t die. You’re still alive. The only thing that’s changed about you is your Soul code.”

 

“...Soul code?”

 

“The code that makes up who you are. Think of it as the sort of DNA that makes up a person’s mind, thoughts, and Imagination,” Mr. Hanekoma explains. “The point of this, Neku, is that the Higher Planes arranged this Game.”

 

Neku takes a sip of the tea, and the second he does he almost drops the cup. Those words. The Higher Planes. He knows what it means, doesn’t know  _ why  _ he knows, but he just  _ does _ . A higher council of Angels that govern the world and the Game. He  _ remembers _ . The person that had been near him and the person he can’t remember all the time. Seeing wings on his back. Being touched on the forehead by the figure and passing out. Waking up disoriented and confused. He feels like he knows too much, then too little, and his mind is bouncing everywhere and-

 

A hand taps gently against his forehead. The storm calms to a gentle mist.

 

“You remember now, don’t you?” Mr. H speaks softly. Neku only nods.

 

The cup is in Mr. Hanekoma’s hand, and he places it on the table. Neku knows why. His hands had started to shake. Mr. H sits down beside him this time, and Neku doesn’t even notice when Mr. Hanekoma pulls him close and soothingly runs his fingers through his hair. 

 

“The Higher Planes…” Neku starts. He takes a deep breath. “...Why did they set up this Game?”

 

Mr. Hanekoma waits a few moments before he speaks up. “They set it up so that they could test you. Shibuya claimed you as the new Conductor, and they didn’t know if...”

 

Mr. Hanekoma trails off, seeing Neku’s expression change. He grasps Neku’s hand, squeezing it gently. Neku’s mind has stopped working. Shibuya… claimed him? He’s… he’s the new Conductor…? Why would Shibuya…

 

“Neku, you’re alright… You remember how tired you were when you were walking this way…?” Mr. H speaks softly again, and he watches as Neku nods blankly. “It’s because the minigames you’ve been playing have put a strain on your Imagination. They’re meant to draw Imagination from you to create the game as you picture them to be in your mind, to test how much strain you can handle. Being around Joshua during the second week of the Game gave you strain too, not just psychologically, but physically as well.”

 

It’s all starting to make sense. The way he could control his Imagination after the Game, the way he could still hear the music of the city- no,  _ Music _ , not  _ music _ \- and it brings him clarity. Everything’s falling into place. His gaze shifts up to Mr. Hanekoma.

 

“What do I have to do…? To bring them all back, I mean…”

 

Mr. Hanekoma sighs. “You have to reach into Shibuya’s core and find your friends. It’s the final test that the Higher Planes have assigned you.”

 

“How do I…” Neku trails off.

 

“Focus your Imagination on the city. You’ll know what to do.”

 

Neku feels a pull at something inside of him. His chest pangs with the feeling of familiarity.

 

He reaches for his friends.

 

\---------------------------------------

|                Open the minigame now.               |

\---------------------------------------

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end of all things.  
> The end of a story,  
> The end of a song,  
> But the beginning of a new future.
> 
> https://drive.google.com/open?id=1cW_dvi18t2OsKFXJ341A17mDTt_QcOUf
> 
> For those who can't open the game:  
> https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gy_Ia1bHRD8grrhzUcaWOwoc1psWBgNaU0GsPbWxHvw/edit?usp=drivesdk


End file.
